A 


Avery  Arum  i  ktural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY 
MDCCCXCVI 


EXTRACT   FROM  PROGRAMME. 

The  Band  of  the  71st  Regiment  will  play  "The  Star  Spangled 
Banner"  and  one  stanza  will  be  sung  by  the  representatives  of  the 
Post  and  their  friends,  who  will  rise  from  their  seats  on  the  Lafayette 
Post  stand. 

STAR  SPANGLED  BANNER. 

O,  thus  be  it  ever  when  free  men  shall  stand, 

Between  their  loved  homes  and  the  war's  desolation, 
Blessed  with  victory  and  peace  may  this  heaven  rescued  land 

Praise  the  power  that  has  made  and  preserved  it  a  nation. 
Then  conquer  we  must,  for  our  cause  it  is  just, 

And  this  be  our  motto,  "  In  God  is  ourtrusc," 
And  the  star  spangled  banner  in  triumph  shall  wave 

O'er  the  land  of  the  fiec  and  the  heme  of  the  brave. 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY 

DEDICATION  OF 
THE  NEW  SITE 

MORNINGSIDE  HEIGHTS 


SATURDAY  THE  SECOND  OF  MAY 


MDCCCX  CVI 


IMUKiR  AMM  K 


MORNING  EXERCISES 


LAYING  THE  CORNER-STONE 

OF  THE 

PHYSICS  BUILDING 

at  I  2  o'clock  meridian 


The  Rev.  Marvin  R.  Vincent,  S.T.D. 

Officiating  Chaplain 

Laying  the  Corner-Stone  by  Ogden  N.  Rood,  A.M. 

Professor  of  Physics 

Address  by  J.  Howard  Van  Amringe,  LL.D. 

Dean  of  the  College 

9 

LAYING  THE  CORNER-STONE 
OF 

SCHERMERHORN  hall 

at  12:30  o'clock  post  meridian 


The  Rev.  Morgan  Pix,  S.T.D.,  D.C.L. 

Officiating  Chaplain 

Laying  the  Corner-stone  by  William  C.  Schermerhorn,  A.M. 

Chairman  of  the  Trustees 

Address  by  Henry  Eairfield  Osborn,  Sc.D. 

Da  Costa  Professor  of  Zoology 


AFTERNOON  EXERCISES 


Music 

Prayer  by  the  Rev.  Edward  B.  Coe,  D.D. 
Address  by  the  President  of  the  University 

Presentation  of  National  Colors  on  behalf  of  Lafayette  Post, 
G.  A.  R.,  by  Richard  W.  Meade,  Rear  Admiral,  U.  S.  N. 
(Retired),  Post-Commander 

Music 

"The  Star-SpangleJ  Banner,"  by  the  71st  Regiment  Band 

Acceptance  of  the  Colors  by  the  President 

Singing  of  the  Dedication  Ode 

Air,  "  Integer  Vita.*  " 

Address  by  the  Hon.  Abram  S.  Hewitt,  LL.I). 

Music 

Address  by  Charles  W.  Eliot,  LL.D. 

President  of  Harvard  University 

Benediction  by  the  Rr.  Rev.  Henry  C.  Potter,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Music 


CARMEN  DEDICATIONS 


CARMEN,  O  MATER,  QVATIENTE  MENTEM 
CORDE  ET  IN  MAGNO  IVVENVM  SENVMQVE 
GAVDIO,  CANTARE  TIBI  SONORVM 
POSCIMVR  OMNES. 

TE  FREQVENS  CINGIT  IVVENVM  CORONA, 
OBVIA  ET  PORTIS  HILARIS  CATERVA, 
HANC  IN  iETERNVM  DECORAMVS  iTDEM 
CARMINE  NOSTRO. 

HIC  NOVO  LVCEBIS  AMORE  SEMPER 
GLORIAM  EXAVGENS  STVDIO  TVORVM, 
HIC  VIRVM  CLARORVM  ANIMO  RECORDANS 
ALMA  VIREBIS. 

CRESCAT  O  SEMPER  NOVA  CRESCAT  iTTAS  ! 
L.ETA  SIC  OMNIS  FLVET  HORA,  MATER, 
LiETA  IAM  NATIS  ET  IN  OMNE  TEMPVS 
L^TA  FVTVRIS. 


HARRY   THURSTON  PECK 


TRUSTEES 

William  C.  Schermerhorn,  A.M.,  Chairman. 
Rev.  Morgan  Dix,  S.T.D.,  D.C.L. 
Stephen  P.  Nash,  LL.D. 
Joseph  W.  Harper,  A.M. 
Charles  A.  Silliman,  A.M.,  LL.B. 
F.  Augustus  Schermerhorn,  E.M. 
Gerard  Beekman,  A.M.,  LL.B. 
Rr.  Rev.  Abram  N.  Littlejohn,  D.D.,  LL.D. 
Kdward  Mitchell,  A.M.,  LL.B. 
W.  Bayard  Cutting,  A.M.,  LL.B. 
Seth  Low,  LL.D. 
George  L.  Rives,  A.M.,  LL.B. 
Lenox  Smith,  A.M.,  E.M. 
John  Crosby  Brown,  A.M. 
Rt.  Rev.  Henry  C.  Potter,  D.D.,  LL.D. 
William  H.  Draper,  A.M.,  M.D. 
Rev.  Marvin  R.  Vincent,  S.T.D. 
John  B.  Pine,  A.B.,  Clerk. 
Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  A.M. 
George  G.  Wheelock,  M.D. 
Frederic  R.  Coudert,  LL.D. 
Hermann  H.  Cammann, 
Wm.  G.  Lathrop,  Jr.,  A.M.,  LL.B. 
Rev.  Edward  B.  Coe,  D.D. 

COMMITTEE  ON  BUILDINGS  AND  GROUNDS 

Seth  Low,  LL.D.,  Chairman. 
Lenox  Smith,  George  G.  Wheelock,  M.D. 

Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  John  B.  Pine,  Secretary. 


GRAND  MARSHAL 
George  G.  DeWitt,  '67 

MARSHALS 

Henry  Dudley,  '61 
J.  Visscher  Wheeler,  '65 
Julien  T.  Davies,  '66 
John  A.  Church,  '67 
Nicholas  Fish,  '67 
Henry  D.  Babcock,  '68 
F.  dePeyster  Foster,  '68 
William  Allen  Smith,  '68 
John  C.  F.  Randolph,  '69 
Elwyn  Waller,  '70 
Dr.  Francis  P.  Kinnicutt,  '71 
Alexander  B.  Simonds,  '73 
Robert  C.  Cornell,  '74 
Eben  E.  Olcott,  '74 
B.  Aymar  Sands,  '74 
Dr.  B.  Bryson  Delavan,  '75 
Dr.  Edward  L.  Partridge,  '75 
Isaac  N.  Seligman,  '76 
Francis  S.  Bangs,  '78 
Dr.  T.  Matlack  Cheesman,'78 
Dr.  Frank  W.  Jackson,  '79 


S.  Victor  Constant,  '80 


Dr.  M.  Allen  Starr,  '80 
Dr.  Reginald  H.  Sayre,  '81 
Howard  Van  Sinderen,  '81 
William  T.  Lawson,  '82 
William  Barclay  Parsons, '82 
Edwin  B.  Holden,  '83 
Dr.  Walter  B.  James,  '83 
George  A.  Suter,  '83 
W.  Fellowes  Morgan,  '84 
Samuel  C.  Van  Dusen,  '84 
Grant  Squires,  '85 
Edward  P.  Casey,  '86 
Edward  DeWitt,  '86 
Dr.  Charles  N.  Dowd,  '86 
William  Jay  Schieffelin,  '87 
Richard  T.  Wilson,  Jr.,  '87 
Dr.  William  K.  Draper,  '88 
Edwin  Gould,  '88 
D.  LeRoy  Dresser,  '89 
Dr.  VanHorne  Norrie,  '89 
Cortlandt  Field  Bishop,  '91 
Joseph  Larocque,  Jr.,  '92 


1 2 


THE  SITE  OF  KING'S  COLLEGE 


IN  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of 
the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts,  written  in  1702,  during  the  reign 
of  Queen  Anne,  Governor  Lewis  Morris  quaintly  and  prophetically 
observes  : 

"The  Queen  has  a  Farm  of  about  32  Acres  of  Land,  wch  Rents 
for  ^36  p.  Ann  :  Tho  the  Church  Wardens  &  Veftry  have  petitioned 
for  it  &c  my  Ld  four  months  gave  ym  a  promife  of  it  the  proceed- 
ing has  been  fo  flow  that  they  begin  to  fear  the  Success  wont  anfwer 
the  expectation.  I  believe  her  Maty,  would  readily  grant  it  to  the 
Society  for  the  afking.  N.  York  is  the  Center  of  Englifh  America 
&  a  Proper  Place  for  a  Colledge, — «Sc  that  Farm  in  a  little  time  will 
be  of  confiderable  Value,  6c  it's  pity  fuch  a  thing  mould  be  loft  for 
want  of  afking,  wch  at  another  time  wont  be  fo  Easily  obtained." 

Governor  Morris's  letter  contains  the  earliest  reference  to  the 
"(Queen's"  or  "King's"  Farm,  as  it  was  generally  called,  and  also 
offers  the  first  suggestion  of  founding  a  College  in  the  Province  of 
New  York.  Some  fifty  years  elapsed  before  that  event  occurred.  On 
October  31,  1754,  if  Charter  was  granted  to  "THE  GOVERNORS 
OF  THE  COLLEGE  OF  THE  PROVINCE  OF  NEW  YORK  IN 
THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK  IN  AMERICA."  Trinity  Church  hav- 
ing in  the  interval  acquired  title  to  the  King's  Farm,  the  Rector 
and  Church  Wardens  forthwith  delivered  to  the  Governors  a  lease  and 
release  of  that  portion  of  the  Farm  lying  on  the  West  side  of  Broad- 
's 


way,  between  Barclay  and  Murray  Streets,  and  extending  down  to  the 
Hudson  River,  described  as  being  "  in  the  skirts  of  the  City."  Steps 
were  at  once  taken  to  procure  plans  for  suitable  buildings,  and  to  raise 
money  with  which  to  erect  them  ;  liberal  contributions  were  received, 
and  on  August  23,  1756,  the  corner-stone  of  King's  College  was  laid 
by  Sir  Charles  Hardy,  then  Governor  of  the  Province.  The  stone, 
which  has  fortunately  been  preserved,  bears  the  following  inscription  : 

"HVJVS  COLLEGII,  REGALIS  DICTI,  REGIO  D1PLOMATE  CONSTITVTI 
IN  HONOREM  DEI  O.  M.  ATQ^  IN  ECCLESL3L  REIQj  PVBLIC^ 
EMOLVMENTVM,  PRIMVM   HVNC  LAPIDEM   POSVIT  VIR  PR^CEL 
LENTISSIMVS,  CAROLVS  HARDY,  EQVES  AVRATVS,  HVJVS  PROVINCE* 
PR^FECTVS  DIGNISSIMVS.    AVGTI.  DIE  23°,  AN.  DOM.  MDCCLVI." 

In  1760  the  fact  is  noted  in  the  records  that  "The  College 
buildings  were  so  far  completed  that  the  officers  and  students  began 
to  lodge  and  mess  therein."  In  honor  of  George  II.,  and  in  accord- 
ance with  the  terms  of  the  Charter,  the  building  thus  completed  was 
designated  "  King's  College,"  and  the  original  crown  which  sur- 
mounted it  remains,  a  witness  to  its  royal  foundation.  The  Rev.  Dr. 
Burnaby,  an  English  traveller,  writes  :  "  The  College  when  finished 
will  be  exceedingly  handsome.  It  is  to  be  built  on  three  sides  of  a 
quadrangle  fronting  Hudson's  or  North  River,  and  will  be  the  most 
beautifully  situated  of  any  College,  I  believe,  in  the  world  "  ;  and 
President  Myles  Cooper  describes  the  College  as  it  existed  in  1773, 
as  distant  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  "  from  the  Hudson  River, 
which  it  overlooks,  commanding  from  the  eminence  on  which  it 
stands  a  most  extensive  and  beautiful  prospect." 

In  April,  1776,  upon  the  request  of  the  Committee  of  Safety, 
the  College  was  prepared  for  the  reception  of  troops,  the  students  were 
dispersed  ;  and  the  library  and  apparatus  were  removed  to  the  City 
Hall.  During  the  Revolution  the  buildings  were  used  both  by  the 
American  and  British  troops  as  barracks  and  for  hospital  purposes. 

»5 


The  College  exercises,  suspended  during  the  pendency  of  hostil- 
ities, were  resumed  in  1784.  On  May  1,  1784,  an  Act  was  passed 
by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York,  entitled  "AN  ACT 
FOR  GRANTING  CERTAIN  PRIVILEGS  TO  THE  COLLEGE  HERE- 
TOFORE CALLED  KING'S  COLLEGE,  FOR  ALTERING  THE  NAME 
AND  CHARTER  THEREOF,  AND  ERECTING  AN  UNIVERSITY 
WITHIN  THE  STATE."  Under  this  Act  the  College  received  the 
name  "COLUMBIA" — "a  word  and  name  then  for  the  first  time 
recognized  anywhere  in  law  and  history "  ;  and  the  administration 
of  the  College  passed  to  the  Regents  of  the  University. 

Three  years  later  the  management  of  the  College  was  trans- 
ferred to  "  The  Trustees  of  Columbia  College  in  the  City  of  New 
York,"  as  the  corporation  has  ever  since  been  known.  On  the  occa- 
sion of  the  first  Commencement  of  the  College  under  its  new  name, 
held  April  10,  1787,  the  Legislature,  upon  the  motion  of  Alexander 
Hamilton,  adjourned  in  order  that  its  members  might  attend,  and  in 
1789  the  Commencement  was  honored  by  the  presence  of  President 
Washington  and  all  the  principal  officers  of  the  Government  of  the 
United  States.  After  the  Revolution  an  effort  was  made  to  restore 
the  buildings  to  a  condition  suitable  for  educational  purposes  ;  but  the 
result  was  not  fully  accomplished  until  1820,  when  two  wings  were 
added,  greatly  increasing  the  capacity  and  convenience  of  the  build- 
tngs.  A  chapel  and  library  were  also  built,  and  in  1829  a  building 
for  a  Grammar  School  was  erected  adjacent  to  the  College.  Presi- 
dent Moore,  in  his  memorial  address,  presents  a  pleasing  picture  of 
"  the  stately  sycamores  on  the  Green,  the  old  buildings,  the  great 
staircase,  the  Chapel,  with  its  strange  hanging  gallery."  And  Mr. 
Jay,  in  his  Centennial  address,  tells  us  that  these  venerable  trees  had 
an  historic  interest,  from  the  fact,  which  as  a  boy  he  heard  from  the 
lips  of  Judge  Benson,  that  they  were  carried  to  the  Green  and  planted 
by  the  Judge  himself,  and  by  Chief  Justice  Jay,  Chancellor  Living- 
ston, and  Recorder  Harrison. 

16 


A  member  of  the  Class  of '39  gives  the  following  description  of 
the  College  as  it  appeared  in  his  day,  when  it  "  occupied  a  plot  of 
ground  bounded  by  Church  Street,  Murray  Street  and  College  Place. 
The  building  was  of  brick,  covered  with  stucco,  painted  light  brown, 
with  trimmings  of  free  stone.  The  front  was  to  the  south.  At  the 
east  and  west  ends,  respectively,  were  two  houses  occupied  by  mem- 
bers of  the  faculty,  which  projected  considerably  beyond  the  middle 
buildings  ;  all  were  three  stories  high,  and  there  was  an  old-fashioned 
belfry  in  the  middle  ;  it  was  a  picturesque  old  structure,  unmistakably 
academic.  In  front  was  a  Green  of  considerable  size,  bordered  by 
large  sycamores.  The  place  had  an  air  of  conventional  quiet  and 
seclusion,  and  was  delightful  in  Summer  when  the  shadows  of  the 
broad  leaves  rested  on  the  light  brown  walls  and  the  flagstones  of  the 
walk.  The  middle  of  the  edifice  was  devoted  to  the  Chapel  and 
Library.  The  latter  occupied  the  second  floor,  and  on  the  floor  below 
were  the  lecture  rooms.  The  location  was  about  the  center  of  the 
fashionable  part  of  the  city." 

For  many  years  the  College  Green  preserved  its  verdure  and 
tranquillity  in  the  midst  of  encroaching  commerce,  but  by  degrees  it 
was  intersected  with  streets.  "  Chapel  Street  "  and  "  College  Place  " 
for  a  time  marked  the  site,  but  even  these  have  now  disappeared.  In 
1854  the  Trustees  determined  upon  removal,  but  the  exercises  were 
continued  until  May  7,  1857,  wnen  tne  last  service  was  held  in  the 
old  Chapel,  the  ancient  corner-stone  was  disinterred  from  its  long 
resting  place  to  be  borne  to  its  new  home,  and  the  halls  which  had 
echoed  to  the  march  of  history  were  abandoned  forever. 


1 8 


THE  PRESENT  SITE 


THE  Botanical  Garden,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth  Avenues,  Forty- 
ninth  and  Fiftieth  Streets,  was  selected  as  the  site  to  which  the 
College  should  be  removed  from  Murray  Street,  and  Mr.  Upjohn  was 
employed  to  prepare  a  design  for  the  new  buildings.  The  execution 
of  this  project,  however,  was  found  to  be  impracticable,  for  the  time 
being,  on  account  of  the  expense  involved;  and  in  November,  1856, 
the  Trustees  purchased  of  the  Institution  for  the  Instruction  of  the 
Deaf  and  Dumb  twenty  lots  situated  on  Madison  Avenue,  between 
Forty-ninth  and  Fiftieth  Streets.  The  purchase  was  made  upon 
favorable  terms,  and  the  action  of  the  Trustees  was  influenced  largely 
by  the  fact  that  the  buildings  of  the  Institution  were  available  for  the 
immediate  use  of  the  College,  with  but  slight  alterations.  The  open- 
ing services  were  held  in  the  Chapel  of  the  "  New  College,"  as  it 
was  called,  May  12,  1857.  The  buildings  consisted  of  a  large  edifice 
of  brick,  and  brown  stucco,  standing  on  the  high  ground  near  Fiftieth 
Street,  with  adjacent  buildings  at  either  end,  one  of  which  served  as  a 
Chapel,  and  the  othej  as  a  residence  for  professors.  President  King 
and  his  family  at  first  occupied  rooms  in  the  main  building,  which 
also  furnished  a  number  of  class  and  lecture  rooms.  The  principal 
architectural  feature  of  the  central  building  was  a  lofty  portico  ;  and 
the  group  of  buildings,  shaded  by  a  row  of  fine  old  trees  on  a  beauti- 
ful lawn  sloping  southward,  presented  a  pleasing  and  dignified  appear- 
ance.    "  The  present  location  of  the  College  "  is  described  in  the 

'9 


Evening  Post  of  May  11,  1857,  as  "a  delightful  one,  and  undesirable 
only  on  account  of  the  distance  up  town.  .  .  .  The  site  is  on  a 
commanding  eminence,  affording  an  extensive  and  pleasant  view." 

Subsequently,  the  Trustees  purchased  the  lots  comprising  the  re- 
mainder of  the  block,  including  a  factory,  which  was  afterwards  used 
for  the  School  of  Mines.  The  buildings  continued  to  be  occupied 
with  but  little  change  until  i860,  when  the  President's  House  was 
erected.  In  1876  the  West  wing  was  removed.  In  1877—78  the 
present  North  wing  of  the  School  of  Mines  Building  was  erected  ; 
and  in  1881—82  the  Library  and  Law  School  and  Hamilton  Hall 
were  built.  The  original  building  was  torn  down  in  1892;  and  in 
1897  the  University  will  be  removed  to  its  new  and  far  more  spa- 
cious site  on  Morningside  Heights. 


21 


MAP  OF  MORNINGSIDE  HEIGHTS 


THE  NEW  SITE 


^  I  ^HE  history  of  the  new  site  dates  from  1701,  when  Jacob  deKey 
purchased  his  farm  from  the  City  ;  but  it  was  not  until  Sep- 
tember 16,  1776,  that  the  event  occurred  which  renders  it  memora- 
ble, and  which  can  best  be  described  in  the  words  of  an  eye-witness  : 

"  On  Monday  morning,  about  ten  o'Clock,  a  party  of  the  Enemy 
confifting  of  Highlanders,  Hemans,  the  Light  Infantry,  Grenadiers, 
and  Englim  Troops,  (Number  uncertain),  attack'd  our  advanc'd  Party, 
commanded  by  Coll.  Knowlton  at  Martje  Davits  Fly.  They  were 
oppofed  with  fpirit,  and  foon  made  to  retreat  to  a  clear  Field,  fouth- 
weft  of  that  about  two  hundred  paces,  where  they  lodged  themfelves 
behind  a  Fence  covered  with  Bullies  our  People  attack'd  them  in  Turn, 
and  caufed  them  to  retreat  a  fecond  Time,  leaving  five  dead  on  the  Spot, 
we  purfued  them  to  a  Buckwheat  Field  on  the  Top  of  a  high  Hill, 
diftance  about  four  hundred  paces,  where  they  received  a  considerable 
Reinforcement,  with  feveral  Field  Pieces,  and  there  made  a  Stand 
a  very  briflc  Action  enfued  at  this  Place,  which  continued  about  Two 
Hours  our  People  atJength  worfted  them  a  third  Time,  caufed  them 
to  fall  back  into  an  Orchard,  from  thence  acrofs  a  Hollow,  and  up 
another  Hill  not  far  diftant  from  their  own  Lines    .     .  ." 

So  wrote  General  Clinton  to  the  New  York  Convention  describ- 
ing the  Battle  of  Harlem,  which  had  been  fought  two  days  previously, 
on  September  16,  1776.  He  presents  a  vivid  picture,  and  we  need 
but  follow  his  description,  beginning  at  "  Martje  Davits  Fly,"  the 

23 


meadow  lying  in  the  valley  between  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
fifth  and  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-ninth  Streets,  near  Amsterdam 
Avenue,  across  the  level  ground  to  the  foot  of  the  northerly  slope 
of  Morningside  Park,  and  up  the  hillside  to  the  "  Buckwheat 
Field  on  the  Top  of  a  high  Hill,"  and  we  find  ourselves  upon 
the  field  where  the  battle  was  fought :  the  field  where  Columbia  is 
to  stand.  What  was  once  the  buckwheat  field,  made  memorable  by 
the  first  battle  in  which  the  American  troops  faced  the  British  and 
routed  them,  has  become  the  new  site  of  Columbia ;  and,  where 
Colonel  Knowlton  fell  the  walls  of  the  University  are  now  rising. 

The  College  which  the  traveller  of  a  hundred  years  ago  described 
as  the  most  beautifully  situated  in  the  world  once  more  looks  forth 
upon  the  waters  of  the  Hudson,  but  from  a  higher  vantage  ground 
and  with  the  broader  vision  of  the  University.  To  the  natural  beauty 
of  the  situation,  which  fits  it  so  pre-eminently  to  be  the  home  of 
learning,  is  added  the  element  of  historic  interest,  associating  the 
University  of  to-day  still  more  inseparably  with  the  College  of  the 
Revolution. 


■A 


2  + 


THE  NEW  BUILDINGS 


^  I  ^HE  land  upon  which  the  buildings  are  to  be  erected  comprises  a 
little  more  than  seventeen  acres.  It  is  divided  naturally  into 
two  levels.  The  southerly  level,  or  plateau,  which  is  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  above  high  water  and  includes  about  ten  acres,  is  the 
higher,  and  varies  in  elevation  from  five  to  ten  feet  above  the  sur- 
rounding streets.  The  buildings  in  process  of  erection  are  being  con- 
structed chiefly  upon  the  higher  plateau,  thus  preserving  a  fine  grove 
of  oaks  and  chestnuts  that  adorns  the  northern  portion  of  the  grounds, 
and  leaving  space  for  future  development.  The  buildings  are  arranged 
in  a  series  of  quadrangles,  but  with  spacious  openings  on  the  streets 
and  avenues.  The  Library,  already  partially  built,  is  to  form  the  cen- 
tre of  the  group,  and  its  proportions  and  design  will  render  it  one  of 
the  most  commanding  features  of  Morningside  Heights.  The  main 
approach  to  the  grounds  is  from  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Street, 
by  a  broad  flight  of  steps  and  a  court  375  feet  in  width  by  200  feet 
in  depth.  Another  flight  of  steps  will  lead  to  the  portico  of  the 
Library.  5- 

Purely  classic  in  style,  the  Library  resembles  in  form  a  Greek 
cross,  and  will  be  surmounted  by  a  dome.  The  width  of  the  build- 
ing will  be  192  feet,  and  the  height  of  the  dome  135  feet.  It  will 
be  constructed  of  Indiana  limestone  on  a  basement  of  Milford  granite. 
The  main  floor  will  be  devoted  to  administration  and  to  several  read- 
ing rooms.    The  general  reading  room  will  occupy  the  centre  of  the 


building  under  the  dome,  and  will  be  nearly  square  in  form,  80 
feet  in  width,  with  a  seating  capacity  for  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  readers.  The  Avery  Architectural  Library,  the  Law  Library,  and 
other  collections  will  be  placed  in  the  wings.  The  estimated  capa- 
city of  the  building  is  more  than  one  million  volumes.  The  Building 
is  a  memorial  of  Abiel  Abbot  Low,  and  is  given  by  his  son,  Seth 
Low,  the  President  of  the  University. 

To  the  East  and  West  of  the  Library  are  to  be  the  Chapel  and 
the  Assembly  Hall,  the  latter  being  intended  as  a  place  of  meeting 
for  student  organizations,  such  as  the  Literary  and  Debating  Societies 
and  the  Glee  Club,  and  for  public  lectures  ;  and  generally  to  serve  as 
a  centre  for  the  social  life  of  the  students.  Opposite  each  of  these 
buildings  will  be  an  entrance  from  the  adjoining  avenue. 

Schermerhorn  Hall,  the  northeasterly  building  on  the  plan,  is  the 
gift  of  Mr.  William  C.  Schermerhorn,  the  Chairman  of  the  Trustees, 
and  will  be  devoted  to  the  Natural  Sciences.  It  will  contain  the 
museums,  laboratories,  lecture  rooms  and  seminars  of  the  departments 
of  Botany,  Geology,  Mineralogy,  and  the  DaCosta  Department  of 
Zoology.  The  adjoining  building,  designated  as  the  "  Physics  Build- 
ing "  only  until  the  name  of  a  donor  may  be  substituted,  will  contain 
in  the  first  instance  the  departments  of  Physics,  Mechanics,  Astron- 
omy, and  Mathematics,  or,  perhaps,  Modern  Languages.  Ultimately 
it  is  expected  that  the  entire  building  will  be  used  by  the  Department 
of  Physics.  These  buildings  are  also  under  construction.  They  are 
to  be  built  of  the  over-burned  brick  of  a  dull-red  color,  generally 
known  as  Harvard  brick,  and  of  Indiana  limestone.  In  style  they 
are  in  keeping  with  the  Library,  and  represent  to  some  extent  a  re- 
version to  the  best  construction  of  the  Colonial  period.  Schermer- 
horn Hall  offers  a  pleasing  reminder  of  old  King's  College.  Their 
simple  and  dignified  lines  and  generous  windows  fitly  express  the  pur- 
pose for  which  they  are  to  be  used,  and  the  intention  of  the  design 
to  subserve  the  needs  of  modern  scientific  education. 


27 


Havemeyer  Hall,  which  is  to  occupy  the  northwesterly  angle  of 
the  upper  plateau,  will  be  erected  as  a  memorial  of  Frederick  C. 
Havemeyer,  by  his  sons,  Henry  O.,  Frederick  C,  Theodore  A.,  and 
Thomas  J.  Havemeyer  ;  his  daughters  Kate  B.  Belloni  and  S.  Louisa 
Jackson,  and  his  nephew  Charles  H.  SenrF.  It  has  been  especially 
planned  for  the  study  of  Chemistry,  and  eventually  will  be  devoted 
exclusively  to  that  department,  but  temporarily  the  upper  floor  will 
be  used  by  the  students  in  Architecture. 

Plans  have  also  been  prepared  for  the  adjoining  Engineering 
Building,  as  well  as  for  the  University  Building,  and  these  also  will  soon 
be  in  course  of  construction.  The  University  Building  will  be  situ- 
ated immediately  to  the  north  of  the  Library,  about  200  feet  distant, 
and,  next  to  the  Library,  will  be  the  most  important  and  conspicuous 
building  on  the  grounds.  The  southerly  portion  of  the  building 
facing  the  Library  quadrangle  is  designed  as  a  Memorial  Hall,  which 
it  is  hoped  may  be  the  gift  of  the  Alumni,  to  serve  both  as  a  monu- 
ment of  distinguished  graduates  and  as  a  dining-hall  for  the  officers, 
students,  and  alumni  of  the  university.  Connecting  with  the  Hall 
and  on  the  same  level  is  the  University  Theatre,  having  a  seating  ca- 
pacity of  2,500.  Under  the  Theatre  is  the  Gymnasium,  and  under 
Memorial  Hall  the  engine  room  and  power  plant.  The  building 
has  a  frontage  of  180  feet,  and  a  depth  of  240  feet.  It  is  situated  on 
the  dividing  line  between  the  upper  and  lower  levels,  and  the  differ- 
ence in  grade  renders  it  possible  to  adapt  the  building  to  its  various 
uses  most  advantageously.  It  will  be  rendered  easily  accessible  by  a 
carriage  road  intersecting  the  grounds  at  One  Hundred  and  Nineteenth 
Street,  and  passing  through  the  building.  For  Commencements  and 
other  public  occasions,  the  theatre,  the  dining  hall,  and  other  com- 
municating rooms  of  the  southerly  portion  of  the  building,  may  be 
used  together,  and  will  provide  spacious  and  beautiful  accommoda- 
tions. 

Of  the  other  buildings  indicated  on  the  plan,  the  particular  use 

28 


remains  to  be  determined  by  the  rapidly  increasing  needs  of  the  Uni- 
versity. That  they  will  be  provided  when  required  there  can  be  little 
doubt. 

The  buildings  now  upon  the  grounds  are  West  Hall,  on  the 
Boulevard  near  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  Street,  which  will  be 
used  as  a  dormitory  for  instructors  and  university  students  until  the 
land  which  it  occupies  is  required  for  a  lecture  hall ;  and  South  Hall, 
at  the  corner  of  Amsterdam  Avenue  and  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth 
Street,  which  will  serve  temporarily  for  the  College.  It  is  hoped  that 
this  may  soon  give  place  to  a  more  spacious  and  suitable  building  in 
which  the  College  shall  find  a  permanent  home. 

To  realize  to  the  full  the  great  opportunities  afforded  by  its  envi- 
ronment is  the  duty  that  now  confronts  the  University.  The  loftier 
elevation  and  greater  extent  of  its  new  site  should  find  expression  in 
the  higher  ideals  and  broader  scholarship  of  the  University,  in  an  influ- 
ence for  good  more  far-reaching  and  potent.  That  these  results  will 
follow  is  best  assured  by  the  progress  that  the  University  has  made 
during  the  past  few  years  under  conditions  far  less  favorable.  To  the 
advancement  of  the  highest,  and  broadest,  and  soundest  learning  the 
University  stands  pledged,  irrevocably ;  while  upon  the  material  side 
the  best  professional  talent,  after  the  most  careful  study,  has  projected 
the  lines  of  future  development.  The  generosity  of  Columbia's  gradu- 
ates, officers  and  friends  has  already  afforded  conspicuous  evidence  both 
of  their  confidence  in  the  work  that  the  University  is  doing  and  of  their 
belief  in  the  complete  success  of  her  present  enterprise.  And  we  may 
look  forward  with  confidence  to  the  complete  realization  of  the  ideal 
presented  by  George  William  Curtis  when  the  purchase  of  the  site 
was  in  contemplation  : 

"  This  is  the  moment  to  secure  this  crowning  opportunity  for 
the  old  college  to  become  the  magnificent  and  adequate  representa- 
tive of  the  just  aspirations  of  the  city  for  an  institution  which  is 
symbolical  of  the  higher  interests  of  every  great  and  prosperous  com- 

3o 


munity.  For  the  abounding  wealth  that  every  year  accumulates  here, 
what  finer  disposition  could  there  be  than  generous  gifts  for  Columbia  ? 
Athens  has  no  loftier  names  of  places  than  the  Garden,  the  Porch, 
the  Academy.  What  they  were  to  the  city  of  the  violet  crown,  a 
prompt  and  splendid  generosity  may  make  the  college  of  the  great 
Revolutionary  patriots  of  New  York  to  the  city  of  their  children." 


IN  LUMINE  TUO 
VIDEBIMUS 
LUMEN 


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